Actinic cheilitis (AC) is a premalignant lesion of the lips that can evolve into squamous cell carcinoma. Among nonsurgical treatments, photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) patch might represent a new noninvasive therapeutic approach for AC.
Objective:
We sought to investigate the potential role of fractional CO2 laser pretreatment in boosting ALA penetration and distribution into AC treated with PDT.
Methods:
We report a case of a woman with AC on the lower lip, treated with ablative fractional CO2 laser to boost drug delivery of 5-ALA patch before PDT treatment. Reflectance confocal microscopy was performed to assess diagnosis and treatment response.
Results:
We detected a good clinical and cosmetic outcome after two applications of combined treatment. Erythema, crust, and edema were reported as side effects.
Conclusions:
This case report shows that ablative fractional CO2 laser-assisted PDT might be an effective therapeutic alternative for patients with AC who refuse or are contraindicated for surgical procedures.
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